Ash Wednesday Kicks Off 40-Day Lent For Christians
- The Ash Wednesday kicked off the 2025 Lent, Christianity's 40-day season of prayer, fasting and giving
- A priest makes ash crosses on worshipers' foreheads to indicates that a person belongs to Jesus Christ and is grieving and morning for their sins
- Ash Wednesday is the first day of 40-day Lent fasting and prayer for Christians around the world
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 7 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international events
The 40th Lent begins today, March 5, 2025, with the observance of Ash Wednesday by Christians worldwide.
Christians attend church services around the world to receive ashes on their foreheads in the shape of a cross as a solemn reminder of human mortality and the need for repentance.
Source: Getty Images
As reported by The Punch, the ashes are made from the burnt palms of the previous year’s Palm Sunday.
The clergymen are quoted as often saying, “Remember that you are dust, and to dust, you shall return,” as they apply the ashes on the congregation.
This emphasizing the themes of humility and reflection that define the Lenten season.
Lent season
Lent is Christianity's 40-day season of prayer, fasting and giving in preparation to honor the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday.
It is one of the most significant periods in the Christian liturgical calendar,
This 40-day fasting excluding Sundays lead up to the celebration of Easter on April 20.
Christians worldwide embrace the season’s disciplines of fasting and prayer.
The Lent reflects the 40 days Jesus Christ spent fasting in the desert.
It is a period marked by reflection, sacrifice, and spiritual preparation.
Key Dates in Lent 2025:
- Ash Wednesday: March 5
- Palm Sunday: April 13
- Maundy Thursday: April 17
- Good Friday: April 18
- Easter Sunday: April 20
The timing of Lent changes each year based on the date of Easter, which is determined by the lunar calendar.
Brief history of Lent
As reported by USA Today, the 64th leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Gregory, set the first official period of Lent in 601 AD.
According to the Museum of the Bible, Lent was 46 days at this time, which allowed for 40 days of fasting − only one meal and no meat was allowed − with six Sundays counted as feast days.
Pope Gregory was also the one to establish the tradition of marking the foreheads of worshipers with ashes in the shape of the cross on Ash Wednesday.
American man didn't eat during entire Lent period
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that a man in America, Dell Hall, had in a surprising revelation said he would only survive on beer during the lent season.
Dell has carried out the same dangerous tasks for three years in the past, 2022's own will be his fourth attempt.
The man is going on only a beer diet to raise funds for those living with disabilities and also to lose weight.
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Source: Legit.ng
